Last Wednesday Tante Siem found Oom Arthur gasping for air and unable to talk.  Immediately she called 911 and thank God, Oom Arthur got the help that he needed.  The doctors put a stent to take care of a blocked artery, the reason for his respiratory distress and possibly, a heart attack.  Oom Arthur is now home recovering. God used Tante Siem to save Oom Arthur’s life. I could not imagine what would have happened if Tante Siem had not gone downstairs and found Oom Arthur in that critical condition.  We thank God for her.

The past ten years have been full of challenges for Tante Siem and Oom Arthur.  Due to health issues, Oom Arthur has been to hospital many times and each time, Tante Siem would be by his side. Despite the challenges, she has remained composed and tried her best to keep her routine such as going to Bible Study and church services. She always looks at the positives and not the negatives of each situation and gives thanks to God for His providence and goodness.

George Mattheson, a nineteenth century Scottish preacher, wrote, “To lie down in the time of grief, to be quiet under the stroke of adverse fortune, implies great strength; but I know of something that implies a strength greater still: It is the power to work under a stroke; to have a great weight at your heart and still to run; to have a deep anguish in your spirit and still perform the daily task.  It is a Christlike thing!” He wrote this based on his personal experience. 

Mattheson became blind at the age of 20; when he told his fiancée of his condition, she broke the engagement off.  So, not only did he lose his sight, but he also lost his love.  But he didn’t lose his will to live for God and to serve Him.  He pursued his calling for ministry and became a pastor, a writer, and a hymn writer. As always, God provides the way of escape and always enough grace for the day.

Pastor Paul